6 Ways to Improve your Travel Blog Writing Skills
Travel blogging is a demanding job, whether full time or not. In this profession, it is unsafe to say, ‘I have gotten there.’ It is always a journey, and there is no destination. There is always something to improve or get better at, even if you are working with the New York Times.
I am not with a crystal ball, but I can make a guess or two about you. There is a high chance you do not have a background in journalism or any formal training in blogging. True, right? Well, you are not the only person in this shoe.
More than half of bloggers worldwide never had any formal training in this career, and they are doing fine. According to thesisrush.com, many bloggers are students who are looking for alternative career paths. There must be things they are doing right. Every blogger, even if they blog for fun, intends to make a name for themselves when starting out.
However, things may turn out differently. What happened? It is time to kick your travel blog up the notch even though we have a situation on our hands that makes traveling difficult.
1. Describe Things in Details
The truth is, many descriptions travel bloggers use in their articles are predictable and boring. ‘Breathtaking terrain,’ ‘delicious local dishes,’ ‘crowded market,’ are a few of the many predictable descriptions writers use. As a writer, you need to describe everything of importance. Describe the scene, the view, the taste, sound, and the smell in precise detail.
Make sure everyone reading your blog can create an image of the place in question even though they have not been there.
2. Stand Out
It is nice to look up to people who already have a name for themselves in the blogging business. However, being conventional or following the status quo of accomplished travel bloggers may make readers disinterested.
They have already seen that brand before and are probably tired of seeing the same thing over again. Doing something different may be what you need to progress. Create a personal brand and identity.
The truth is that no two people can describe a thing the same way. If others are straight to the point and overly serious in their blog posts, you may decide to use suspense and humor.
Candace Rose Rardon is an example of a blogger who stands out. Many of her writings published on Gadventures.com are properly illustrated with sketches and paintings. That is her approach, find yours!
3. Take a Course
Don’t see this as another uphill task. If traveling seems an issue at this time, take an online course. You don’t need to enroll at Harvard before you hone your blogging skills.
Invest in yourself, learn all you can about content writing, and how you can drive traffic to your blog. It may look like a waste, but it will surely pay great dividends.
4. Maximize Meet-Ups
Attend meet-ups hosted by travel bloggers. Do bloggers organize events? Yes, they do, and it can be fun too. Meet-ups can be another outing for travel bloggers who do not have a clear goal when going, but it shouldn’t be that way for you.
Take a journal with you or a voice recorder if you are comfortable with one. Be natural and organized when discussing with top bloggers. However, no matter how wonderful your work had been, do not sell yourself if you’re not asked. Nothing kills a meet-up faster than this approach.
5. Proof-Read
Any blog writer who is lazy at proofreading may not make tangible progress. The way to detect, identify, correct, and improve on your mistakes lie here. If you are writing for an organization, it may be easy. Most organizations hire an editor for their work.
However, if you are running your own travel blog, you may need to proofread twice or thrice, tell a relative to help you, use Grammarly.com, or even pay an editor. Readers, no matter how poorly educated, have a knack for quality write-ups. You do yourself a favor when your article is properly proofread.
6. Network outside Travel Blogging
The inspiration or support you may need for a blog may not come when you bury your head in a blank paper or screen.
An average travel blogger is not concerned with things happening outside his sphere. This attitude is wrong in many ways! People, topics, events, or places related to politics, culture, aviation, or religion may greatly affect travel blogging.
Restricting your scope to travel blogging may be disadvantageous to your goal as travel blogging hinges on a truckload of other things. Besides, writing a blog post that overlaps with these topics may interest your audience. Your audience may have a lot of things that interest them.
Conclusion
Every form of blogging takes time, consistency, and commitment. Travel blogging is not an exception. However, the ability to harness the imaginative and creative mind of readers is what differentiates it from other forms of blog writing.
After distractions, it takes the human brain about 18 minutes to fully concentrate. A little distraction can tell on every content you write, especially its flow. Therefore, you should try as much as possible to avoid distractions, silence your phone, or write at night. These things can cause a tangible improvement to your work.
Every effort you put into blogging contributes to making you a better blogger. Make sure the effort is tangible, and you will be fine.